Former Anglican lay pastor Mark Rivera released on bond again
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2022
Abuse advocacy group says victims’ rights have been violated.
Wheaton, IL: Sexual abuse advocacy group ACNAtoo released a statement today regarding former ACNA lay pastor Mark Rivera’s release from Kane County Adult Justice Center.
On January 11, 2022, Mark Rivera’s $15,000 bond was paid and he was released back into the community with only an ankle monitor.
Mark Rivera was charged on December 29, 2021 with two felony counts of criminal sexual assault in the Kane County, Illinois, circuit court. The charges came a year after Joanna Rudenborg reported Mark Rivera, her former neighbor, to Kane County police, accusing him of raping her in 2018 and again in 2020.
Mark Rivera’s bail was increased on January 7, 2022 by $150,000 for allegedly sexually assaulting Joanna Rudenborg while he was out on bond on 9 counts of felony child sexual assault.
Rivera was first arrested in 2019 for 9 counts of felony predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 13 years of age. 10 survivors have come forward with allegations of abuse by Rivera since 2019, with allegations including rape, assault, child sexual abuse and grooming.
“This is the third time that Mark Rivera has been released and his victims have not been informed by Kane County,” says Abigail Nye, ACNAtoo advocate. “Not only has Kane County violated their right to be notified of the release of the accused, but the County has not given victims timely notification of court hearings and has violated other rights laid out in the State of Illinois Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act (725 ILCS 120/4).”
“At this point, I’m safe from Mark because I don’t live in Illinois anymore, so really what I want is for him to not be able to harm anyone else,” says Joanna Rudenborg, founding member of ACNAtoo. “The only way we can be sure that that’s going to happen is if he goes back into custody.”
ACNAtoo formed in June of 2021 when Joanna Rudenborg took to Twitter and made public her experience of being raped twice by ACNA catechist Mark Rivera, and the subsequent mishandling of her allegations by the regional leadership in the Upper Midwest Diocese.
“We just want to know that our daughter is safe from this man,” says Cherin Marie, mother of Mark Rivera’s 12 year old victim. “It is unacceptable that he has been released from jail multiple times without our family being informed.”
ACNAtoo’s mission is:
Advocacy for survivors of abuse in the ACNA
Education and resources for survivors and those who care for them
Accountability for key leaders within the ACNA to hold survivor-centered policies.
Since July 2021, ACNAtoo has published 7 survivor stories and 35 educational resources. Over 77,000 visitors have viewed these publications on the ACNAtoo website.
About ACNAtoo: As a survivor-centric advocacy group, ACNAtoo’s mission is Advocacy for survivors of abuse in the ACNA, Accountability for key leaders within the ACNA to hold survivor-centered policies, and Education about the dynamics of spiritual/sexual abuse, and how to best prevent/respond to abuse in the church. ACNAtoo began as an advocacy group for survivors in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, but they exist to support people in all dioceses of the ACNA.
